Rosemary Blackberry Limonata

I don’t know about you, but I’ve already seen my fill of eggnog, mulled wine and hot chocolate. Every time I turn on my car or enter a store, I’m bombarded with holiday music. I’ve already grown tired of Christmas music when the big day is still two weeks away!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no Scrooge. I love all the giving, cheer, and happiness that stems from the holidays. But I do need a break from the rest of the holiday hoopla. I need a sip of this rosemary blackberry limonata!

For the most part, my cocktail recipes are inspired by what I found at the market, what I drank at a restaurant/bar, or something relating to the season. And then some cocktails are born spontaneously. This particular cocktail was the product of a visit to my fridge. On this particular day, I opened the fridge and saw a bowl of blackberries beside a container of rosemary. Once I pulled those ingredients out, I found a lonely can of limonata (sparking lemon soda). The brain started ticking and I grabbed the vodka. I knew these items would come together to create one heck of a cocktail.

While a majority of traditional holiday beverages are suited for cold, wintery weather, they’re not that refreshing. A mug of hot chocolate with melted marshmallow doesn’t exactly quench one’s thirst. (Unless you’re a chocoholic, of course.) I need something cool, fresh, and bright to reinvigorate my holiday cheer! And this rosemary blackberry limonata cocktail does the job wonderfully.

Fill serving glasses with ice. Lately, I’ve been in love with crushed ice. It may dilute the drink quickly, so don’t hesitate to drink up!

Add 1 1/2 oz of rosemary blackberry syrup. This syrup is super easy to make. You place water, sugar, blackberries, and rosemary in a pot and bring it to a boil. Let the mixture steep until you have just the right amount of rosemary essence. Strain it and voilà, you’ve got homemade rosemary blackberry syrup. This same technique can be used to pretty much make any herb-fruit syrup you’d like.

Add 1 1/2 oz vodka. Gin is a great substitute as well.

Final step, add 3 oz of limonata or any sparking lemon soda. If you don’t want fizz, lemonade works beautifully. Stir to combine drink.

To make the cocktail visually appealing and fancy, garnish the finished cocktail with a fresh sprig of rosemary and a couple blackberries. CHEERS!

Ingredients

Per Cocktail:

Rosemary Blackberry Syrup:

1cupwater

3/4cupgranulated sugarq

1cupfresh blackberries, rinsed

two 6-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary

Instructions

Filling serving glasses a little over half full of ice. Add rosemary blackberry syrup. Follow with vodka and top with sparkling lemon soda. Stir to combine. Garnish with fresh rosemary and blackberries

Rosemary Blackberry Syrup:

In a medium sauce pan, combine water, sugar, blackberries and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Smash blackberries and cover pot with lid. Let steep for 20-30 minutes depending on how strong you want the rosemary flavor to be. Strain syrup and store in the fridge until ready to use.

The Little Epicurean contains paid advertising banners and sponsored posts. Any Amazon links found on this site are affiliate links. Any products I mention are items I genuinely like and personally use. Any sponsorships, partnerships, or giveaways will also be noted.